No show has been this aggressively TikTokked since the seemingly endless era of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. But Kaytranada is used to going viral.
His 2013 Boiler Room is among one of the best and most-streamed to date: the Canadian music producer working overtime on the decks while a host of entertaining characters cause chaos around him.
His sound has advanced since then, but he still has the same core energy to his tracks. A Kaytranada song is distinct and instantly recognisable, making him one of the most sought-after producers of the 2010s and now the 2020s. His music is punchy and bouncy, utilising deep basslines that move with a drumbeat, paired with off-kilter kicks, claps, and shakers. Genre-wise, Kaytranada is known for his unique fusion of electronic hip-hop, R&B and funk, making his sound almost impossible to imitate without it being blindingly obvious that it’s Kaytranada-inspired.
Last night, the inimitable DJ took to the stage at Alexandra Palace to show off the best of his extensively groovy back catalogue. Opening with earlier tracks like Track Uno and Vivid Dreams, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he got to work on stage. For him, work seems to mean (seemingly) minimal DJing, maximum vibing.
He started impossibly strong, reminding crowds of just how many hits he has. Act one included highlights like At All, Track Uno, Vivid Dreams, Snap My Finger (feat. Pink Pantheress) and Meditation (feat. Goldlink), as well as a well-timed remix of Beyoncé’s Cuff It, which got the crowd writhing, sweating and whacking out their handheld fans mere minutes in.
He followed that up with a barrage of tracks from his 2024 album Timeless, giving the performance a slightly dense middle. A bit of a shame, given how easy it would have been to one/two the set between bangers and recent hits, but at least his fans seemed to be enjoying every second.
Then came act three, featuring cult classics like 10% (feat. Kali Uchis), Intimidated (feat. H.E.R), Vex Oh and Be Your Girl. This final track has become a piece de resistance, of sorts, and Kaytranada is especially known these days for standing still and simply holding a glass to the camera during his cult remix, sending the crowd even wilder than they already were during the beat drop.
It’s a toast to his older work, and a slight acknowledgement that he has been playing this song for 12 years and knows exactly how much every member of that crowd wants to hear it. Oh, and to film it.
The producer seemed aware of that part, too: every single phone camera was raised in anticipation from the very first note. The glass of wine he, in turn, raises to the stage camera was teased multiple minutes before.
Watching him play chicken with the crowd, I couldn’t escape the feeling that no one was enjoying the drop as much as they would have been sans phone camera. I’m not Kaytranada, but if I were him, I would almost actively enforce that everyone put their phone away for that final moment, which was nothing short of delightful. No wonder it causes everyone FOMO: it’s so widely documented, and so good. The only thing that would make it better is everyone being off their phones and just enjoying Kaytranada, taking in every second of the brilliant show he puts on.
Kaytranada is currently touring.
